"You're driving like a f***ing idiot"

Het Formule 1-debuut van Eddie Irvine in 1993 is opmerkelijk. Daarbij haalt hij zich de woede van Ayrton Senna op de hals.

Witheet is de Braziliaan na de -door hem gewonnen- Grand Prix van Japan. Al tijdens de officiële persconferentie kan hij zich niet inhouden en spreekt zjn ongenoegen uit over het rijgedrag van debutant Irvine die hij als "very unprofessional" neerzet.

Aanleiding is Irvine's weigering om klakkeloos aan de kant te gaan voor Senna die de Ier halverwege de race op een ronde wil zetten. Zowel Irvine als Senna rijden nog op regenbanden en worden geblokkerd door Damon Hill die net naar slicks is gewisseld en het lastig heeft op de opdrogende baan. Op het moment dat Hill Senna blokt, schiet Irvine de Braziliaan voorbij. De Ier voelt zich in zijn element, hij racet het hele jaar al in de Japanse Formule 3000 en kent Suzuka op zijn duimpje. In plaats van Senna weer voorbij te laten, begint Irvine vervolgens Hill aan te vallen. Daarbij negeert hij de snellere McLaren van Senna die achter hem alweer aansluit. Pas na anderhalve ronde gaat irvine aan de kant.

Na de persconferentie beent Senna -aangespoord door enkele Braziliaanse omstanders- naar de pitbox van Jordan waar de eerste WK-punten van het seizoen worden gevierd. Ayrton stapt op Eddie af en begint hem de les te lezen.

Senna: What the hell do you think you were doing?
Irvine: I was racing!
Senna: You were racing? Do you know the rule that you're supposed to let the leaders
come by when you're a back marker?
Irvine: If you were going fast enough, it was no problem.
Senna: I overtook you! And you went three times off the road in front of me, at the same place, likea  f***ing idiot, where there was oil. And you were throwing stones and all things in front of me for three laps. When I took you, you realised I was ahead of you. And when I came up behind Hill, because he was on slicks and in difficulties, you should have stayed behind me. You took a very big risk to put me out of the race.
Irvine: Where did I put you in any danger?
Senna: You didn't put me in any danger?
Irvine: Did I touch you? Did I touch you once?
Senna: No, but you were that much from touching me, and I happened to be the f***ing leader. I HAPPENED TO BE THE F***ING LEADER!
Irvine: A miss is as good as a mile.
Senna: I tell you something. If you don't behave properly in the next event, you can just rethink what you do. I can guarantee you that.
Irvine: The stewards said "No problem. Nothing was wrong."
Senna: Yeah? You wait till Australia. You wait till Australia, when the stewards will talk to you. Then you tell me if they tell you this.
Irvine: Hey, I'm out there to do the best for me.
Senna: This is not correct. You want to do well. I understand, because I've been there I understand. But it's very unprofessional. If you are a back marker, because you happen to be lapped...
Irvine: But I would have followed you if you'd overtaken Hill.
Senna: You should let the leader go by...
Irvine: I understand that fully!
Senna: ...and not come by and do the things you did. You nearly hit Hill in front of me three times, because I saw, and I could of collected you and him as a result, and that's not the way to do that.
Irvine: But I'm racing! I'm racing! You just happened to...
Senna: You're not racing! You're driving like a f***ing idiot. You're not a racing driver, you're a f***ing idiot!
Irvine: You talk, you talk. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Senna: I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Irvine: Yes. I was battling with Hill.
Senna: Really? Really? Just tell me one thing. Who is supposed to have the call? You, or the leader of the race who comes through to lap you?
Irvine: The leader of the race.
Senna: So what have you done?
Irvine: You, you were too slow, and I had to overtake you to try to get at Hill.
Senna: Really? How did I lap you if I was too slow?
Irvine: Rain. Because on slicks you were quicker than me, on wets you weren't.
Senna: Really? Really? How did I come and overtake you on wets?
Irvine: Huh?
Senna: How come I overtook you on wets?
Irvine: I can't remember that. I don't actually remember the race.
Senna: Exactly. Because you are not competent enough to remember. That's how it goes you know.
Irvine: Fair enough. Fair enough. That's what you think.
Senna: You be careful guy.
Irvine: I will. I'll watch out for you.
Senna: You're gonna have problems not with me only, but with lots of other guys, also the FIA.
Irvine: Yeah?
Senna: You bet.
Irvine: Yeah? Good.
Senna: Yeah? It's good to know that.
Irvine: See you out there.
Senna: It's good to know that.
Irvine: See you out there ...

Net op het moment dat Senna aanstalten maakt om de pitbox te verlaten, draait hij zich om en slaat Irvine op zijn gezicht. Dan loopt Senna weg.

Na de laatste race van het seizoen, moeten beide kemphanen zich bij de FIA verantwoorden. Het loopt gelukkig met een sisser af, Senna krijgt een voorwaardelijke schorsing van twee races opgelegd. En tijdens de wintertests voor 1994 laten Senna en Irvine het incident definitief achter zich met een "shake hands" (foto hieronder).